Purify or Bust
by gijinkasis
Summary: When angel Ash Ketchum is sent to Pallet Town by Arceus in an effort to counteract Giratina's dark angel forces, he finds himself tangled in a complicated web of conflict and greed. With the help of his Pokémon and travelling companions, will Ash be able to prevent darkness from reigning supreme?
1. Prologue

Purify or Bust

Prologue

In the Hall of Origin, Arceus is the leader of a group of angels. Amongst the younger-looking angels is a thirteen-year-old boy with dark hair, brown eyes, and z-shaped marks on his cheeks. He is playing an old handheld video game in a small room.

Meanwhile, an older-looking angel with black hair, red eyes, and a red cap was just exiting Arceus' chambers with a mission: take his wife and son to Pallet Town in Kanto to track the movements of dark angels ordered by Giratina to wreak havoc and, if the chance arises, purify them and send them back to Arceus. He walked to his wife and she knew that they were being deployed. "When does He want us to leave, Red?" "Immediately, Delia. Get Ash and let's move out." The woman, now known as Delia, went over to the teen boy and cleared her throat. "Yes, Mom?" he asked. "Ash, get dressed. We're being deployed." Delia replied. Ash changed from his pajamas into a black t-shirt, blue-and-white jacket, green fingerless gloves, faded blue jeans, and white tennis shoes with black along the sides. He then met up with his parents near a large white door that simply read 'Pallet Town.' Suddenly, the door opened and the trio walked through, fading into the bright light.


	2. Missing!

Purify or Bust

Chapter 1: Missing!

Almost immediately after walking through the door and into the light, Ash and his parents found themselves in front of a house on the outskirts of Pallet Town. They walked in and were greeted by a Mr. Mime. "Mime Mister Mime!" it exclaimed. "Nice to see you too, Mimey. Thank you for watching over the house for us while we were gone." Delia replied. Ash's ability to understand Poké-speak kicked in and he noticed that Mimey had a bit of a posh British accent. **"It was my pleasure, Lady Delia. Shall I get your beds ready?"** "Not yet, Mimey. We have work to do." Delia responded. "Uh, Mimey?" Ash asked. **"Yes, Young Master Ash?"** "Would it be possible for you to get me a hat common to the region? I forgot my hat since I was in a rush to leave." Ash stated, careful not to mention the Hall or Arceus since he didn't know if Mimey knew their secret. **"Very well. I shall bring you one of Master Red's old hats. If there's no objections, of course."** Ash and Delia immediately turned to Red. "Go right ahead." Red replied. At this point, Mimey left the room, giving the family just a moment to discuss him. "Does Mimey know about our secret?" Ash asked, being intentionally cryptic in case Mimey could hear them. "Yes, Ash, he does. He was sent here by you-know-who personally to watch over the house and pay the bills while we were at the Hall." Just then, Mimey returned, holding a red hat with a white front and an emerald green L-shaped marking on it. **"Here you are, Young Master Ash. One Kanto region hat. Is there anything else I can do for you?"** "Not that I can think of. Thank you, though." Ash responded, putting on the hat. **"Don't mention it. Also, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."** "Will do." Ash responded.

 _That evening..._

Delia and Red had just finished their dinner when suddenly a loud, shrill chirping sound filled the house. "Why's the smoke detector going off?!" Ash shouted over the noise. **"I took the liberty of turning the smoke detector into a dark-angel detector."** "What's the range?" Red asked, concerned. **"About 50 feet."** Red looked at Delia, who nodded. "We're going to go investigate. Mimey, keep Ash here while we do." **"Very well. Good luck and stay safe."** At that point, Red and Delia left the house.

The duo raced up the street and around the corner where they found a group of about 15 dark angels, each wearing a black uniform with a red 'R' on the front of the shirt. "Well, what do we have here? Two angels showing up for us on a silver platter?" one of the dark angels, a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties, asked. Four other dark angels walked over and grabbed Red and Delia by the elbows, making it almost impossible for them to move. "You'll be coming with us." "Not without a fight, we won't." Red responded before headbutting one of the guys holding him and pulling a small cube-shaped device out of his jacket pocket. He then pushed against the top and it morphed into a backpack-mounted vacuum cleaner. Quickly, he turned it on and pointed it at the young woman. A dark ball of energy started to appear, being pulled out of the young woman. Before long, the ball of energy was trapped inside the vacuum cleaner.

As the ball of darkness was pulled out of her, the young woman's wings appeared, slowly turning white. Once her wings were pure white, Red pushed a button on the side of the vacuum. A small device popped out the side and it opened a portal beside the young woman, who smiled at the couple before walking into said portal. The dark angels attempted to follow her through the portal, but were all repelled by some strange force. The dark angels turned and glared at Red. "You think you're so smart, huh? But we have a trick of our own." one of them growled before throwing a smoke grenade at Red and Delia. The grenade went off and the couple immediately started coughing. "That smoke grenade's filled with a Venusaur's Sleep Powder. Soon, you'll be drifting off to dream land and there's nothing you can do about it." Red felt his eyelids start to droop as he fought to keep himself awake. It was in vain, however, as he and his wife fell asleep mere minutes later. Two dark angels hefted the duo over their shoulders and headed out towards Viridian City.

 _Ketchum Residence, 30 minutes later..._

"Where are they? They should be back by now. The dark-angel detector stopped going off twenty minutes ago." Ash wondered. **"Maybe they lured the dark angels out of range?"** "Maybe. If they're not back by tomorrow, I'm going to go search for them. In the meantime, I'm gonna get ready for bed." **"Very well. I'm quite sure that Master Red and Lady Delia will be back shortly."**

 _Meanwhile..._

Arceus, now in a human guise, was looking at a large projection screen with the current locations of all angels under his command. _"Red and Delia seem to be heading towards the Viridian Forest. However, they are traveling without their son. Maybe I should have someone check up on the boy."_ "Having troubles, old friend?" a feminine voice asked from the shadows. The Alpha Pokémon jumped back a bit, clearly surprised. _" really know how to sneak up on someone."_ "So what's up?" _"A couple of my soldiers went AWOL. They left their son in Pallet Town and are heading north. Would it be possible for you to check on him?"_ "Consider it done." _"Thank you. Here is a picture of the boy, as well as his home address while he is posing as a human."_

 _The next morning..._

Ash woke up around eight and raced into the kitchen, hoping to find his parents eating breakfast. What he found, however, was Mimey sitting at the table alone, looking at the door. "They haven't come home, have they?" **"No. You were right to worry, Young Master Ash. Something has clearly happened to them."** "I knew it. I should've went looking for them last night." **"If you had, you would probably be in the same position they are."** "Regardless, I'm gonna find them and bring them home. I promise you." Ash vowed to Mimey before returning to his bedroom and getting changed.

Soon, Ash was dressed and ready to go. He grabbed an old green backpack and packed a few spare outfits, a Kanto map, and the tools of the trade before heading out for the laboratory of local Pokémon expert Professor Samuel Oak. Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the base of the hill Prof. Oak's Lab sat atop. By the time he reached the front door, he was drenched in sweat. He rang the doorbell and, a few minutes later, the door opened. An older gentleman stood there rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Young man, do you have any idea what time it is?" "I'm sorry it's early, but I need to speak with Professor Oak." The gentleman sighed heavily. "Come with me."

The two of them entered the lab and walked into a sort of conference area. "I'm Professor Oak. What can I help you with?" "I'd like a Pokémon so that I can become a Trainer." "I'm sorry, son, but I've already given out all of my Pokémon for new Trainers." "There aren't any Pokémon left?" "Well, there _is_ one, but it is quite the handful." "I'll take it." The Professor walked over to a large metal device and pressed a few keys. The top of the device split open and a Poké Ball emerged from underneath. Professor Oak took the Poké Ball and handed it to Ash. Ash opened the Poké Ball and an Eevee appeared in a flash of light. _"Eevee?"_ "Wow. An Eevee. Awesome." Ash croutched down and attempted to pet the Eevee, but it bit his hand. "What was that for?" "This Eevee thinks that because it's so rare, it shouldn't have an average Trainer." Prof. Oak explained. Ash smiled a bit before kneeling in front of the Eevee. _"Eevee eevee vee eevee eevee. Eevee vee eevee eevee eevee eevee."_ Ash stated in Poké-speak. Prof. Oak's eyes widened. "You can speak Pokémon?" "Yeah. I grew up surrounded by Pokémon. I learned the language from them." Ash lied. _"Vee eevee vee eevee eevee eevee?"_ the Eevee wondered. _"Eevee. Eevee vee vee eevee."_ Ash replied. The Eevee then jumped onto Ash's shoulder and licked his cheek. _"Eevee vee eevee vee. Eevee eevee vee eevee eevee vee. Vee eevee eevee." "Eevee."_

At this point, Prof. Oak went over to a workbench and retrieved a red mechanical device. He then gave it and five Poké Balls to Ash. "This is Dexter, a Pokédex. Think of it as a high-tech Pokémon encyclopedia. However, I have yet to update it with data from Pokémon not native to Kanto, so it won't recognize certain species. It's also your identification as a Trainer, so don't lose it." "I understand. Thank you very much, sir." Ash and his Eevee left Professor Oak's Lab and set a course for Viridian City. As soon as they got out of Pallet Town, Eevee jumped off of Ash's shoulder. "What should I call you?" **"Back home, they call me Lucian. What they don't realize is that I'm a girl at heart."** "How about I call you Lucy?" **"I'd like that."** Lucy replied, blushing.

Ash and Lucy continued down the route before being stopped by a red-haired girl. "Here you are. I was sent to check on you." "By who?" "Him." "He sent you to check up on me? Why?" "Your parents went AWOL and are heading north. He wanted to know why you aren't with them." "Dark angels were near the house; they went to clean up and just disappeared. Who are you, anyway?" "I am Misty Kazumi, old friend of you-know-who and disguised Latias." she replied, whispering the last part. Ash dug into his backpack and retrieved a com unit before placing a call to Arceus. The screen flashed to life and Arceus was seen. "Sir." _"At ease."_ "Sir, my parents went missing last night after dark angels started getting close to our house and they went to go purify them." _"Which explains the young woman who was purified and sent to me."_ By now, Lucy had gotten curious and climbed up Ash's arm. **"Hello there."** _"What happened to the 'no Pokémon Training' rule?"_ "Respectfully, sir, it's a dumb rule. Becoming a Trainer makes it easier to blend in." _"I understand your thought process, but what happens if that Eevee gets Poké-napped?"_ "Forgive me for interrupting, but the only ones who steal Pokémon are dark angels or those affected by their darkness." "Right, and we can track that darkness to the source after getting her back." _"Her? I think your ability to understand Pokémon needs work."_ **"Actually, I'm a girl at heart and I prefer to be addressed as such."** "Like my sisters. It's the same concept." Misty told Arceus. _"I see... Looks like I need to work on noticing an individual's true gender..."_ "In any case, I'm going on a journey to find my parents, sir." _"I understand. Good luck and stay sharp."_ With that, Arceus ended the transmission.

Misty then turned towards Ash. "You know, if you want to blend in with the other Trainers, you should take the Pokémon League Challenge." "But I don't really have any desire to take on the Pokémon League." "Then how are you going to justify your journey to those who don't know your secret?" "...Fine. I'll take the League Challenge. What exactly do I have to do?" "Defeat the eight Gym Leaders found at the Pokémon Gyms scattered throughout the Kanto Region. Get their Gym Badges and head for the Pokémon League Headquarters on Indigo Plateau. Once there, challenge the Kanto Elite Four to battles, battling each member one-on-one and winning. Once you beat them, you must defeat the reigning Champion. However, you can only challenge the Elite Four and Champion five times each year. If you are defeated by a member of the Elite Four or the Champion, you must challenge them over again from the beginning until you win or are defeated five times." "Sounds tough." "It is. They are the strongest Trainers in Kanto. It'll take a lot of hard work to beat them, but I believe you have what it takes."

Suddenly, a wild Pikachu jumped out at them before collapsing in the middle of the path. Ash threw one of the Poké Balls he got from Professor Oak at the Pikachu. It made contact and sucked the Pikachu inside before landing on the ground and rocking back and forth, the center of the button flashing red and making a whirring sound. After a minute or two, a single snap was heard, signifying a successful catch. "We best get this Pikachu someplace it can be healed." "There's a Pokémon Center in Viridian City, not too far from here." "Let's go." Ash said, turning his hat so it was facing backwards before racing ahead towards Viridian City. Misty chased after him and, before long, the duo had reached the outskirts of Viridian. Five minutes later, they were standing right outside the Pokémon Center. Ash opened the door and raced inside to the front desk. "How can I help you?" the nurse at the front desk asked. "My Pikachu needs help." Ash replied, releasing Pikachu onto the desktop. The nurse gasped at Pikachu's condition. "I need a stretcher for a small Electric-type Pokémon, stat." she stated over the loudspeaker. Two chubby, pink Pokémon entered the lobby, carrying the stretcher the nurse requested. They then placed Pikachu onto the stretcher and wheeled it into the recovery ward. "Don't worry. Those Chansey have been working here since I was a kid. They are really gifted nurses."

Just as the excitement started to die down, the power went out and two figures broke in through the glass roof...

Translation of Poké-speak this chapter:

Paragraph 9:

Ash: "I am not just some random Trainer. I am an angel trying to keep order."

Lucy: "You want me to join you on your mission?"

Ash: "Mhm. It would be my honor."

Lucy: "Looks like we're a team now. But don't put me back in the Poké Ball. It's too cramped in there."

Ash: "I won't."


	3. Attack on the Center!

Purify or Bust

Chapter 2: Attack on the Center!

The two individuals who had just crashed through the roof of the Pokémon Center stood up and detached the climbing ropes from their belts. Misty heard the noise of the unknown assailants crashing through the roof and raced into the building as they landed. The dense fog from outside prevented any light from entering the building, thus protecting the assailants' identities. However, Ash could tell that they were dark angels, and sent Lucy to attack them. They could tell that Lucy was charging towards them, so they sent out a Raticate to counter her. _"Cate cate raticate?"_ it asked. _"Raticate cate cate raticate cate raticate raticate raticate cate cate raticate."_ one of the assailants replied. _"Raticate, cate. Cate cate raticate raticate cate."_

At that point, Misty sent out a Swanna and had it use Defog. Before long, all the fog had dispersed, revealing the two sides in the battle as Misty returned her Swanna to its Poké Ball. A few minutes later, the Center's back-up generator kicked in, activating the lights above them and letting Ash see the assailants' faces. One was a guy in his late teens or early twenties with green hair that was similar to a bowlcut in the back and had large bangs in the front. The other was a young woman, about the same age as her partner, with golden-colored hair in a feminized version of her partner's hair style. Both had brown eyes and wore the same uniform that consisted of a black, long-sleeved top with a grey collar, white gloves, a grey belt, and black pants for him and a black knee-length skirt for her. The top was also emblazoned with a red 'R' on the front. The woman also wore red lipstick and red triangular earrings.

The nurse entered the lobby and gasped when she saw two intruders fighting against the young man who brought in the Pikachu and his traveling companion. The intruders noticed her and the guy pulled out a smoke bomb before setting it off and taking the nurse hostage in order to get to the room where all the sick Pokémon waiting for treatment were stored. Ash and Misty followed them after Ash retrieved Lucy and soon found the nurse in one of the empty treatment rooms, bound and gagged. The duo untied her and removed the gag from her mouth. "Thank you very much. My name's Joy and I'm the nurse for the city." "I'm Misty and this is Ash. Who were those guys we were fighting?" "They're Pokémon thieves here to steal the Pokémon we have yet to treat. They must be stopped." "Agreed." Ash and Misty replied.

Suddenly, the electronic door to the treatment room opened and Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy hid behind the medical bed in the middle of the room. Lucy jumped off Ash's shoulder and walked into view, forcing Ash to follow her. What they found was the Pikachu that Ash had caught. _"Chu pika pikachu?"_ it asked, looking at Ash. _"Chu. Pikachu chu?"_ he replied. _"Pika pikachu pika pika pika pika pikachu." "Chu. Pika pikachu?"_ Ash wondered. _"Pikachu, pikachu, pikachu, chu pikachu." "Eevee eevee, eevee, vee eevee, vee vee eevee."_ Lucy chimed in. _"Chu."_ Ash responded before motioning for them to huddle in close and whispering his plan into their ears.

Once he was done, Lucy ran to the room where the thieves were and taunted their Raticate. Soon, the golden rat was furious and chasing Lucy. Lucy led it back to the lobby, after making sure they got the attention of the thieves. There, Ash and the others waited for them to race back into the lobby before Pikachu used Iron Tail to slice through the handle of the sack containing the stolen Poké Balls. Misty retrieved the loot as Pikachu used Thunder Shock to send the thieves flying out through the hole on the roof. Once the thieves were long gone, Misty returned the stolen Poké Balls to Nurse Joy, who then went behind the counter and turned on a computer.

"This is Nurse Joy in Viridian City. The Viridian Pokémon Center has been attacked. Requesting emergency transfer of injured Pokémon to Pewter City." _"Request granted. Proceed to send Poké Balls when ready."_ a feminine voice replied over the computer speakers. Nurse Joy placed the Poké Balls onto a conveyor belt one at a time. At the end of the conveyor was a machine that looked like an inverted funnel attached to a plastic hose. The Poké Balls passed under the machine before being hit by a beam and disappearing. Ten minutes later, all the recovered Poké Balls had been transfered. "Transfer complete." Nurse Joy stated before turning off the computer monitor and moving in front of the desk. "Thank you both so much for helping to keep those injured Pokémon safe." she said, bowing. "Don't mention it. You'd have to be heartless to see something like that happen and not do anything." Ash replied. "He's right. We couldn't turn a blind eye." Misty agreed.

Just then, a police issue motorcycle pulled up and a young woman in her mid-twenties entered. She noticed Ash and immediately handcuffed him. "You're under arrest for stealing Pokémon." "Wait a minute. I'm not the thief!" Ash yelled. "Oh, really? Do you have any identification to back up your story?" "My Pokédex is in my right jacket pocket." The officer searched Ash's jacket pocket and retrieved Dexter. _"This Pokédex belongs to Ashton 'Ash' Ketchum. If this Pokédex is lost or stolen, please contact Prof. Oak."_ Dexter stated in a mechanical voice, showing a picture of Ash. The officer removed the handcuffs sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I just assumed that you were the thief. I always jump to conclusions on things like this." "No harm done. I did get a description of the culprits though." "Really? Any information would help us greatly." Ash relayed the information to the officer, who jotted down notes. "I see. Those two are wanted criminals. The man is Botch Kosaburo and his partner is Cassidy Yamato. They belong to a criminal syndicate named Team Rocket. Rumor has it that Team Rocket's currently experimenting on Pokémon, but it is unclear what they are trying to accomplish." the officer, now known as Officer Jenny, stated. "That sounds worrisome." Nurse Joy noted. "Yes, but rest assured, I will handle this case to the best of my ability." "Officer Jenny, am I free to go?" Ash queried. "Yes, you are. Stay safe out there." "Will do."

Ash and Misty left the Pokémon Center and headed north towards Viridian Forest. Once they were far enough outside the city, Ash knelt down and looked at Pikachu. _"Pika pika pikachu pika? Pika pikachu pika pikachu chu chu pikachu pikachu pikachu pika pikachu."_ he wondered. _"Pika. Pika pika pikachu pikachu pikachu pikachu."_ Ash's ability to understand Poké-speak kicked in, so he began speaking English again. "What should I call you?" **"Call me Mike, please."** "Welcome aboard, Mike." **"Glad to be here."**

 _Elsewhere..._

"Sir, Butcher and Cassidy have returned." a seemingly low-ranking member of Team Rocket stated. "I assume you mean _Butch_ and Cassidy. Send them in." a gruff masculine voice said from the shadows. The Team Rocket member left and sent in the duo as instructed. They then kneeled before the man with their right hands over their hearts. "You wanted to see us, Boss?" Cassidy asked. "Yes. I need your report about what happened at the Viridian Pokémon Center." "When we got there, there was already an angel there. We fought with him before taking the nurse hostage and forcing her to open the room with all the sick Pokémon. We gathered a large number of Pokémon before the angel's Eevee ran in and taunted Raticate. Raticate flew into a rage and chased said Eevee out of the room and into the lobby, where the angel and his friend were waiting for us. The angel's Pikachu then used Iron Tail to rip open our stash of loot and Thunder Shock to send us flying out through the hole in the roof we entered through." Butch stated. "So you failed to steal even a single Pokémon?" "Uh... Yes, Boss. I take full responsibility. I didn't expect the angel to be that resourceful." Butch noted. "I understand. You are two of my better agents, so I'll let you off with a warning. Just don't let it happen again." "Thank you, Boss Giovanni. It will not happen again." "You are excused. Send in my assistant on the way out."

The duo left and the low-ranking agent returned. "Yes, Sir?" "Where is Unit B at this time?" "They are here at HQ. Want me to send for them?" "Yes. I have a mission for them."

 _Meanwhile..._

Ash and Misty had just entered the Viridian Forest when a Caterpie wiggled out onto the path, causing Misty to scream. "Bug! Get it away, get it away!" she yelled, hiding behind Ash. Ash took advantage of the vague request and threw a Poké Ball at the Caterpie. The Poké Ball hit its target, but nothing happened. "Why didn't anything happen?" Ash wondered. "There's a safeguard built into the Poké Ball that prevents it from catching any Pokémon that belongs to someone else. If the Poké Ball you threw didn't absorb the Caterpie, the only explanation is that it already has a Trainer." Misty explained from her position.

Soon, a young man approached the two Trainers and held up a Poké Ball. A red beam of light shot out from the button on the front of the Poké Ball and struck the Caterpie, surrounding it and sending the caterpillar Pokémon to the inside of the Poké Ball. The Caterpie's Trainer was dressed in full samurai attire, with a horned helmet that had a black visor attached so no one would no the Trainer's true identity, plate armor covering his arms and torso, and sandals. A katana was sheathed and strapped to his left side.

"Thank you for finding my Caterpie. If you hadn't come along, there's no telling how far it could've gone." the young man stated, bowing. "You're welcome. I didn't realize that it had a Trainer, so I tried to capture it. At least I learned something about being a Trainer." Ash responded. "I don't mean to sound rude, but your outfit is rather curious." Misty chimed in, looking the boy over. "Oh, this? I come from a family of samurai and my father, who is the leader of the clan, is training me in our family's heritage. Since my family is from Pewter City and I am the only member of my family who trains Pokémon here in the Viridian Forest, the locals have started to refer to me as 'the Samurai' since I don't reveal my name to anyone."

The Samurai then turned to Ash. "Since we're both Trainers, how about we have a Pokémon Battle? I've been wanting to fight against another Trainer for a while now." "Sounds good. Does a Single Battle using two Pokémon each work for you?" "It does. I hope you're ready for a good fight."

With that, the two Trainers entered a clearing before standing on opposing sides and sending out their first Pokémon...

Translation of Poké-speak this chapter:

Paragraph 1:

Raticate: "What are my orders?"

Cassidy: "Your orders are to eliminate anyone foolhardy enough to try to mess with us."

Raticate: "Understood, ma'am. I'll start with the runt charging at us."

Paragraph 4:

Mike: "You're the one who caught me?"

Ash: "Yes. Why do you ask?"

Mike: "I want to help you defeat the guys making a mess of this place."

Ash: "Good. What moves do you know?"

Mike: "Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, and Iron Tail."

Lucy: "I know Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, and Quick Attack."

Ash: "Great."

Paragraph 8:

Ash: "Do you want to come along with me? I'm on a mission to stop dark angels from overthrowing the balance and starting a reign of darkness."

Mike: "I do. I've been wanting a life of adventure and it seems it found me."


End file.
